Nothing To Lose
by badly-knitted
Summary: Daniel knows that time is running out, both for earth and for his team, but they have to keep trying while there's still the smallest chance they might win. Spoilers fot The Serpent's Lair Part 2. Written for Prompt 43: Go For Broke at fandomweekly.


**Title:** Nothing To Lose

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Daniel Jackson, Jack, mentions Sam Carter, Teal'c, Bra'tac.

 **Rating:** PG

 **Spoilers:** The Serpent's Lair Part 2.

 **Summary:** Daniel knows that time is running out, both for earth and for his team, but they have to keep trying while there's still the smallest chance they might win.

 **Word Count:** 1010

 **Written For:** Prompt #43 – Go For Broke at fandomweekly.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Stargate: SG-1, or the characters. They belong to their creators.

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We threw caution to the winds and gambled that the gate address I got from the other reality would take us to the place the attack on earth would originate from, and we were right. Sort of. Only in was a ship rather than a planet, and it travelled a whole hell of a lot faster than it should have been able to, according to Teal'c. So here we are, above earth, making a last ditch attempt to stop Apophis and Klorel before they can destroy our planet, and naturally it's all going pear-shaped, one disaster after another.

Doesn't matter, we don't have anything left to lose. If Apophis succeeds, earth is doomed and everyone will either be killed or enslaved, but while there's still the smallest chance we can change that outcome, we've got to do everything we can; it's not even a matter of choice. All we need to do is blow up two Goa-uld ships from the inside. Piece of cake, right? Just shut down their shields, get them close enough together, and when the C-4 in this one blows, it'll take the other one with it. That's the plan anyway, but nothing's ever as easy as it sounds.

Stage one is complete and we were working on getting across to the other ship, and how did I end up being the one keeping lookout anyway? I'm not a soldier, I'm an archaeologist, and despite the training Jack made sure I got when I joined the team, when it comes to guns I'm an amateur at best. Small wonder I got hit with a staff blast before I could shoot, and damn it hurts, but I think I got the Jaffa… The shooting's stopped so I must have. Jaffa don't turn tail and go for reinforcements; they fight to the death. Looks like I won. Good for me.

Jack's here now, he must have heard the fighting. He actually looks upset; it's touching, but we don't have time for sentimentality.

"I'll be dead anyway. Just get out of here." It's not bravado, no matter how it might sound, just common sense.

The idiot doesn't want to leave me, but he and the rest of the team have one chance left to save the world and I'm not about to let Jack throw that away for my sake. What difference does it make if I die here, alone, or over on the other ship with them? Either way I'll be just as dead, and at least this way my death might serve some purpose.

"I'll stay and watch your back." It's not like I can go anywhere in this condition anyway. Please, Jack, let me do this. The rest of you can move faster without me and maybe I can buy you a little time with my life. It's the only contribution I can make now. I guess I must have got through to him somehow, because he's going. That's good. He has a battle to win.

Watching him leave, knowing I'll never see him, or Sam, or Teal'c, or Bra'tac ever again hurts almost more than the staff blast did. To be honest, there's not that much physical pain now, that's probably shock taking over. I hear the sound of the rings and send up a prayer that the others will succeed. If our actions save earth, that's worth dying for, nobody can tell me it's not… Jack and the others will be heroes, but no one will ever know the truth of what happened up here. Who cares? We didn't do this for fame and glory. I wonder if I'll hear the explosions that finish me off. I'm ready to die. I think I am.

Except, maybe I'm not, because where there's life there's hope, and where there's a Goa'uld ship there's a sarcophagus, not to mention a stargate. Maybe I can still make it out of here. It's worth a try. Dragging myself to the sarcophagus is the hard part, knowing the time is ticking down. How long do I have before the ship blows? It's academic; knowing won't change anything. If I get there in time, fine, if I don't, so be it.

Why'd the Goa-uld have to make these things so damned high? What did I say earlier about there not being much pain? I was wrong, but I can't pass out now, just got to hold on a little longer. Up and over the side, like a damned assault course, and oh God, that hurt! I'm in though, and the lid's closing. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic, because these things aren't exactly roomy.

It's like no time has passed, but it must have. How long has it been? I'm alive and in one piece, in fact I feel amazing; the pain has gone as if it never existed. For a moment I lie still and hold my breath, but everything's quiet, there's no one about, and the ship hasn't blown up. Yet. Have the Goa-uld prevented that somehow, or is it just that the countdown hasn't reached zero yet? Maybe I should check.

The timer on the C-4 reads one minute fifteen, which is really cutting things fine. I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life, but seventy-five seconds goes by slower than you might think, or maybe it just seems that way when you're running for your life. The gate is right there, but I can't dial earth, we're too close… Think, dammit!

The Beta site! I can go there, and from there to home. Dialling takes precious seconds.

As I throw myself through the event horizon, I close my eyes and pray that somehow, the rest of my team will find a way to make it home too, but if they don't I promise I'll make damned sure everyone at the SGC knows they died as heroes, saving the world. They're my friends and they deserve to be remembered for making the ultimate sacrifice. Whatever happens I'll see to it they're never forgotten, and that's a promise.

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The End


End file.
